Real-Time on-Line Flow Cytometry for Bioprocess Monitoring
Abstract
As the understanding of variation is the key to a good process and product quality one should pay attention to dynamics on the single-cell level. The basic idea of this approach was to qualify and quantify variations on the single-cell level during bioreactor cultivations by monitoring the expression of an eGFP tagged target protein (human membrane protein) using fully automated real-time, flow injection flow cytometry (FI-FCM). The FI-FCM system consists of a sampling- and defoaming- as well as of a dilution-section. It allows a very short monitoring interval (5 min) and is able to dilute the reactor sample by a factor ranging up to more than 10,000. In bioreactor cultivations of recombinant Pichia pastoris expressing the eGFP tagged target protein, high correlations (R(2)≥ 0.97) between the FI-FCM fluorescent signal and other, however, population-averaged fluorescence signals (off-line fluorescence, in situ fluorescence probe) were obtained. FI-FCM is the only method able to distinguish between few cells with high fluorescence and many cells with low fluorescence intensity and proved that cells differ significantly from each other within the population during bioreactor cultivations. Single-cell fluorescence was distributed over a broad range within the cell population. These distributions strongly suggest that (a) the AOX-I promoter is leaky and (b) a fraction of the population is able to express more protein of interest within shorter time and (c) a fraction of the population does not express the fusion protein at all. These findings can help in the selection of high producing, stable strains. To show the platform-independency of the system, it has successfully been tested during bioreactor cultivations of three different strains (P. pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Escherichia coli). Along with its applications in PAT, the FI-FCM could be used as a platform-independent (prokaryotes and eukaryotes) method in various other applications; for example in the closed-loop-control of bioprocesses using different kinds of fluorescent reporters, (waste- and drinking-) water analysis, clone selection in combination with FACS or even for surgery applications.
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In yeast fermentation monitoring, flow cytometry has been used in combination with an autosampler and a flow injection system for sample processing in at-line mode.
“In yeast fermentation monitoring, flow cytometry has been used in combination with an autosampler and a flow injection system for sample processing in at-line mode [241].”
From Multi-Sensing Monitoring of the Microalgae Biomass Cultivation Systems for Biofuels and Added Value Products Synthesis—Challenges and Opportunities (2025) · cites this paper as [241]
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- Authors
- Broger, T., Odermatt, R. P., Huber, P., & Sonnleitner, B.
- Affiliations
- ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (CH)
- Corresponding author
- Sonnleitner, Bernhard
- ORCID
- Broger, Tobias
- Venue
- Journal of Biotechnology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-07
- Volume
- 154
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 240-247
- ISSN
- 0168-1656 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2080500319
- Cited by
- 83
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 3.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Biotechnology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Minnesota
- Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Fungal and yeast genetics research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Fluid Dynamics and Mixing
- Keywords
- single-cell fluorescence, Pichia pastoris, recombinant protein expression, strain selection
- MeSH terms
- Escherichia coli, Flow Cytometry, Pichia, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Green Fluorescent Proteins
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